This invention relates to the gas laser art and, more particularly, to a novel isothermal gas dynamic laser nozzle and constituent nozzle portions thereof.
It is fair and accurate to state that gas lasers (including those sometimes referred to as "chemical" lasers or "chemically pumped" lasers) are not as well known as other types of lasers. It is also fair and accurate to state that, as a result of their comparatively more recent advent, gas lasers have not attained the hopefully desired degree of sophistication, when compared with solid state lasers, for example. With regard to rapid starting gas dynamic lasers (hereinafter referred to as GDL) devices, it is well known in the art that this particular type of gas laser has several severe inherent disadvantages. These disadvantages will be discussed later herein for the benefit of those not in the gas laser art. Suffice it to say at this juncture that what is needed as to these GDL devices, and what is not presently available, is a nozzle for these devices which will provide a very short start transient (i.e., the surface temperatures over the entire nozzle will reach the steady-state operating values very rapidly after application of the combustion environment), and which said nozzle will operate at steady-state conditions in an almost completely isothermal manner.
I have invented a novel nozzle and constituent identical nozzle portions thereof which meet these requirements and fulfill these needs. Thereby, I have significantly advanced the state-of-the-art.